Lies a boy told me
by gardenoftacos
Summary: Wendy Darling was never supposed to return to Neverland. But determined to save her adopted brother, she finds a way.
1. Chapter 1

It has been months since Bae had been taken and frustration threatens to break her for good.

When she is not climbing out of windows trying to recall the shadow, or hunting through Kensington gardens where boys are rumoured to go missing, guilt and fear keep her up at night. Still, all attempts to get back to Neverland have failed and she feels the consequences of her actions like a weight on her chest, slowly crushing her.

The Darlings have noticed her peculiar behavior, but the blame is put on her missing adoptive brother and his influence. After Bae's disappearance, she had gone frantic, even spending a few weeks sick in bed due to all the stress. It was all her fault that Bae was taken by the shadow to that horrid place, to that horrid boy. Everything was her fault. If only she had listened to him, if only she had never taken the shadow's hand in the first place.

What if's and if only's plague her every thought.

Just like every night since her return to London, Wendy clutches at the curtains of the window in her new room, trying her best to stay awake despite the siren call of sleep. George had finally gotten a say over her mother and had moved Wendy into her own room. She was not a child anymore, and thus it was improper for her to stay in the nursery with her brothers.

She suspected they also didn't want her influencing John and Michael with her fixation on Bae.

They didn't even listen to her reasoning. How was she supposed to protect her brothers? What if the demon boy had decided that Bae was not enough and the shadow came back for them?

Each night she stayed up as long as she could, straining her ears for any sound coming from the nursery in the next room. She can't count the number of times she has gotten up to sneak into the nursery and check on them. She still would, if George had not placed Nana right outside her door to alert him if ever she chose to leave her room in the middle of the night.

The window is also where she attempts to call the shadow back to her.

"I believe." She whispers, glancing back at the door to her room in case her parents had heard her before turning back around to peer out her open window. She has been saying the same thing for weeks, trying out different ways, but the shadow still refuses to answer her call. Was it because she was no longer a child, or was it only because of Pan's orders? She had tried in her nursery, had even asked poor Michael to say the words for her. But nothing.

Wendy sighs, locks the window, and decides to finally crawl into bed. If her father catches her yawning during breakfast again, he might finally send her off to boarding school like he has threatened to many times before. She gets under the covers, turns to face the window, and wills herself to sleep.

The fog of dreamland creeps across the edges of her mind, poking and prodding and willing her to relax, willing her to submit into sleep. It almost succeeds before the process is interrupted.

An eerie glow penetrates her eyelids just as she begins to doze, and she is wrenched from sleep. She throws the covers off her and looks at the window, trying to find the source of light. Is it the shadow? Has it come back?

Fear roots her to her bed, keeping her in place though she tries to fight it, tries to be brave to go to the shadow and demand it bring her back to Neverland. But then the glow is gone, and it is replaced by noises outside her window.

Wendy fears the shadow and she fears Pan, but this could be a completely different monster, one she does not know how to handle, perhaps one mortal like herself.

She holds her breath as the noises grow louder. A familiar face suddenly pops into view and she nearly screams, hands slapping over her mouth just in time.

Captain Hook!

She trips in the tangle of bedsheets as she rushes to the window. The pirate is there, waving at her with his hook and a smirk. She reaches forward to unlatch the lock but then debates with herself as to whether or not she should let him in. He is a pirate, after all. And she knew that, because of the arrangement he had with the boy, there was a chance he was actually working for Pan.

But curiosity had always been Wendy's chief weakness. It had made her take the shadow's hand, against all warning, after all. Slowly her fingers move to lift the latch, and she steps aside as he pushes the windows open and enters, boots trekking mud all over her bedroom floor.

The pirate looks around, surveying his surroundings, eyes lingering on a few of her trinkets here and there. Wendy suddenly feels very small and young in her room, filled with white lace and feminine trims, a room so similar to the treehouse Pan had built for her so long ago.

"Captain?" She breaks the silence with a whisper, so that Nana or her parents won't hear her. Killian bows to her in greeting before gesturing to her bed, signalling her to sit down. She is suspicious but she does as he asks and looks up at him expectantly.

"I'm here to talk about someone important to us both," He starts, the deep tone of his voice just low enough to make sure their conversation won't be heard. "A boy recently came to be on my ship. A boy I had come to grow attached to, come to care for. But the lost boys stole him away under Pan's orders and I need your help in getting him back."

Still not understand where he was going with this, Wendy urged him to continue.

"Baelfire needs you, love."

At the sound of Bae's name, Wendy interrupts and shoots to her feet, hand going to her chest in worry.

"Bae? You've seen him? Where is he? Is he alright?" Question after question pours out of her mouth and she can feel her hands start to shake as she waits for his answer. Please let him be alright.

Killian closes his eyes and sighs. "We need to get him out of Neverland. The longer he stays there, the longer we risk losing him. It won't be long until he forgets everything and truly becomes a lost boy."

The thought of Baelfire, sweet, innocent, Baelfire, becoming wild and reckless sends chills up her spine. He had too much goodness in him, too much heart to be a lost boy! The boys had been sweet to her, but they had had their moments of cruelty. There was always an undercurrent of something malicious in them whenever they spoke to her, as if their previous lives had damaged them so completely that even forgetting who they were wasn't enough to erase the dark tinge. She couldn't allow that to happen to Bae.

But if the Captain was trying to help Bae, why wasn't he in Neverland?

"Then why are you here?"

"I want to bring him back here, to his family, but I can't do it alone. I need your help. Pan has lead him to believe that I willingly gave him up, and now he refuses to talk to me" His face is somber and it looks as if he has aged terribly since she has last seen him. She almost feels his pain.

But then her gaze narrowed, and she stares at him suspiciously while her lips twist into a sneer. This was a pirate after all, and one who worked for Pan. Should she trust him?

"Perhaps I did let Pan take him away. I should have fought harder to keep him safe. He won't listen to me. Won't let me help him." Killian's voice wavers slightly, a vulnerable tone escaping him before he gives a slight cough and continues.

He looks at her then, a pleading expression in his eyes. "But he'll listen to you, love. He talked about you while he was on the Jolly Roger. He said you were like his sister and he'd do anything for you. I know — well I had hoped — that you'd do anything for him as well, even returning to that forsaken place."

There is warmth that fills her when he talks of Bae and her resolve strengthens. Bae needs her. This is her chance to save him! When will another opportunity to get to Neverland come by? But her suspicion still lingers.

"Why should I trust you? From what I remember, you work with Pan," The title feels all wrong in her mouth, for she has only ever referred to him as Peter out loud. She had been the only one other than Felix and Rufio allowed to call him by that name and she had once reveled in that honour. But that was before.

"I have committed many wrongs in my past, nothing can change that. And I will continue to do more once our quest is complete. But leaving Bae with that demon boy cannot be one of them. I will bear the repercussions once he is safe here with you, whatever they may be. But I want Bae safe just as much as you do."

Wendy doesn't trust him, not with her life, and not with Bae's life. But his convincing tone, the overwhelming guilt she feels, and her determination to get her brother back overcome any sense she might have once head. She makes her decision.

"Will you do it, love? Will you come back to Neverland for Bae?"

"I'll come," She takes the captain's offer of his good hand, and watches as he throws a small, shiny bean out the window to the garden below. The wind picks up and a green glow illuminates her room once more.

Wendy does not look back before she follows Captain Hook, leaping from her window to the portal below.


	2. Chapter 2

The portal spits them out and her landing is anything but graceful. She falls to the sandy beach face first and has to cough and spit several times to get most of the grains out of her mouth. Her head is filled with cotton and she feels dizzy, bitter bile creeping up her throat, threatening to join saliva every time she spits.

Killian recovers fast, rising to his feet and brushing sand from his shoulders like it was nothing. A quick sweep of their surroundings, then he offers Wendy his good hand and pulls her up, keeping his hold as she sways on her feet.

"Let's hurry," the Captain tells her, letting go of her hand and walking in the direction of the Jolly Roger. "Pan probably already knows we're here. We need to get to Bae quickly."

Wendy follows behind him, nearly jogging to keep up with Hook's pace. She tries not to shiver at the thought of Pan being aware of her presence. She has to focus on Bae, and only Bae. Once she brings him home she can put this island, and Peter Pan, behind her for good.

"Why did we arrive here and not on the Jolly Roger?" She asks.

"The portal would have ripped my ship to shreds and I will not allow her to come to harm."

She does not wince as the pads of her feet touch the hot sand but it does make her realise she is not wearing any shoes. When she had been planning her return to Neverland she had envisioned herself being more than ready, complete with boots and appropriate attire, and maybe a few weapons to defend herself. She even has a small bag packed and tucked away under her bed. Yet she once more finds herself in Neverland wearing her nightgown with her feet bare. The feeling of deja vu makes her all the more vulnerable and she is angry with herself. She should have known better.

But she had also imagined herself going about her quest alone. Now, she has an ally in the Captain and her chances of saving Bae have increased.

The ship isn't far, and after a quick boat ride, she is climbing up the rope ladder, and being helped onboard by a pirate with a red cap.

"Hello again, Mr. Smee," She greets the man with a small smile. Wendy had met him once before, the day she had discovered that though the pirates and the lost boys had daily scrimmages and bloody battles, the Captain was actually in Pan's employ.

The pirate turns red, mumbles a greeting in return, before running off to do whatever it was pirates did when not stabbing people to death or searching for treasure. Killian is at the head of the ship, telescope in hand. He searches for something in the distance before lowering the instrument and rubbing his forehead as if in pain.

Her bones are itching in her skin. Every moment they spend in Neverland is another moment Pan may be coming for them. Every second that slips by could be used to get to Bae. She wants to leave, and fast. She does not want to lay eyes on Pan ever again.

Wendy moves closer to the captain, straining her eyes as she stares at the island, wondering what he was searching for moments earlier. Was it Pan? Bae? What was his plan for saving her brother? A few moments of quiet are the limit of her restraint before her questions burst from her.

"When will we get Bae? Do you know where he is?"

Killian doesn't answer her, his eyes remain transfixed at some point in the distance. His face is at once grave and distant, as though some terrible weight rests in his mind.

"Captain?" She tries to get his attention.

"Pan will be arriving any minute, Mr Smee. Make ready."

It's as if someone has thrown a bucket of ice cold water at her. She blinks. The truth dawns on her as the ship's first mate grabs her from behind. She wants to cry.

"You didn't bring me here to save Bae, did you." Her voice wavers, but it still comes out as less a question and more a statement. She is certain of this much now.

"No, I'm afraid not," He doesn't look at her as he speaks. "You are to be a part of a trade. In exchange for you, I'll get Pan to give me and my crew our freedom at last."

She had fallen for the tricks of a cruel boy once upon a time. And now, she has fallen for the lies of cruel man. She really is naive, such a stupid _stupid_ girl. Why she had thought she could trust the word of a pirate was beyond her, but she had been so desperate to get to Bae that she had pushed aside every warning that rang through her head.

So here she is, about to be handed over to the demon that had once filled her dreams but was now the cause of her nightmares.

"This won't work, you know," she tells him, tries to say anything to get him to change his mind. "He won't take me. He wants nothing to do with me, he said so himself. He let me go!"

She rushes forward, breaking away from Smee's hold in a surprising show of strength, grabs his coat and tugs, trying to get him to see reason. "Please, Captain. Let me go now. There's still a chance I can find Bae and get him home. You don't even need to help me anymore, just let me go!"

A flash of pity crosses his face, but it is gone before it really settles. "You poor girl. If only you knew." He takes her hands from where they clutch at his coat and holds them tight while Smee ties her wrists in coarse rope.

There is betrayal in her eyes when she looks at him, but she can see he will not yield to her pleas. She follows when Smee tugs her towards the plank. But as she walks away, she turns back with her chin held high and anger in her eyes. "This is useless, _Hook_," she spits his name out, using the name he has been called by everyone but her. "He will not accept the trade. I am worth _nothing_ to Peter Pan."

The captain watches with guilt and pity as she walks away and wishes he could tell her the truth. But that is not his place.

#

The Pan arrives without any of the flare he usually displays.

Wendy is surrounded by pirates who keep her from his view, but she sees him in the gaps between their bodies and goosebumps erupt on her flesh. He hasn't changed, not since she last saw him, whereas she has grown up in the months since she's left.

But in a way, he is also different. He is shaking in anger, his mouth drawn in a fierce scowl and his eyes narrowed in a glare she has never seen from him before. Of course, the first time she had been there he had only shown her a mask. For all she knew, this was the true Pan.

"Hook!" He yells, in an uncommon show of agitation. "Where are you, you codfish?"

Hook makes a show of emerging from his cabin, all arrogant smirk and raised eyebrows. His arms extend outwards and his neck dips shallowly in a mockery of a bow. But Wendy can see the hesitation in his eyes. He is unsure about what he is about to do, but he will do it regardless if it means the freedom of his crew.

"Hello, Pan."

"Where is she?" He doesn't bother with formalities and cuts straight to the point. Hook must have informed him about the trade ahead of time.

"Do we have a deal?"

"Where. Is. She." He bites out the words, and his body has gone still. It is far worse than when his anger caused him to shake. At this moment she fears for the Captain more than she fears for herself.

Hook waves his hand as a signal and the pirates move away. No longer hidden from view, she stands out in the open with her wrists bound in front of her and her nightgown fluttering slightly with the sea breeze.

Peter Pan finally sees her and freezes.

She does not know what to expect. Would he laugh at Hook's stupidity for bringing her when she is worth nothing to him? Would he be mad that she dared enter his realm again so soon after he made her leave? Unwillingly, she also wonders if his heart had skipped a beat as hers did.

So many emotions flash through his eyes that she can cannot catch them all. She sees fury and uncertainty, but then she sees relief and she wonders if everything is all in her head. Is he relieved to see her? No, most likely he is relieved that Hook only has her with which to trade, nothing worth releasing one of his favourite servants over.

Smee prods her gently in the side with his sword, and she is forced to take a step onto the plank. The message is clear, though she has no doubt that if he actually wanted her he could catch her before she fell in the sea. But could he stop them in time before a sword is thrust into her heart?

His face goes blank. All earlier traces of rage gone, his lips curl into a smirk and his back straightens. He looks to Hook with his hands on his hips before turning to look at her once again.

"So do we have a deal?" Hook asks again.

"Deal." Pan says, looking straight at her.

#

The pirates cheer as their freedom is granted, and in the backdrop Wendy can hear Hook giving orders to set sail. She cannot focus on her surroundings however, her gaze still on Pan. The sound around her is a buzz in her ear and the movements and actions made by the crew are blurred. For a moment, nothing else exists.

He has not taken his eyes off her once, not even when he had reached into his pocket and handed the pouch within to Hook. The pouch, she is sure, contains a bean that will give Hook and his crew their much desired freedom and an end to their service under Pan.

She wishes she could go with them. Though the captain had lied to her and betrayed her, she much prefers his company over being stuck in Neverland again.

They are caught up in something unseen but one of the crew bumps into Wendy on his way to the other side of the ship, and she stumbles backwards, breaking her connection with Pan. She had forgotten that she was at the end of the plank, and her stumble brings her close to the edge. With her hands tied she cannot fight for balance and her stomach flops when she's sure she's about to fall.

Rough hands grip her waist, preventing her from toppling over the edge of the plank, and lifting her until she is safe once more on the deck. She is breathing heavily from both from the adrenaline rush of almost falling and his hands on her body.

Wendy tries to pull herself away, but he makes her turn and face him. Pan unsheathes the dagger at his side, pulls her close enough that she can feel his breath on her forehead, and cuts through the rope that binds her. She flexes her fingers and rubs her wrists, wincing at the pain. The rope had rubbed her skin raw leaving it red and sore. Any longer and she may have begun to bleed.

She focuses on that before the Pan takes her wrists in one hand, and trails his fingers over the abused skin. She feels the warmth from his fingers and then her wrists are back to their fair colour. He has used magic to heal her. The gentleness of his touch is a strange dichotomy to the feral boy she now knows he is, but at the same time it is familiar as he had always been gentle with her before.

But now she knows what he truly is and she knows this is probably just another trick in his giant game of pretend.

She pulls her hands from his grasp and steps back to look at him properly, her head held high and her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides.

"You're not dead." He finally speaks, his voice low and his eyes searching her face as if to confirm the fact he had just stated. Wendy looks at him in confusion. What an odd thing to say.

"Of course I'm not dead. Why on Earth would you say that?"

Peter doesn't answer her, still looking at her for an answer to an unspoken question. She doesn't move and doesn't speak again. She waits for him to finish his inspection, standing as still as can be. Pan is a predator, and any sudden movement will make him react as though this is one of his games. She had once been giddy at the thought of him chasing her, had even asked him for a game or two, but not anymore.

When he is done, he holds out his hand, fingers curling to beckon her forward. She hesitates, but reaches out to take it when she sees his jaw clench. She will fight her battles when they are no longer on the ship.

He pulls her close, whispers _take a deep breath,_ and they are gone from the Jolly Roger in a blink of an eye.

Captain Hook watches them disappear and says a quick prayer for the innocent lass.

**| PAST |**

The Pan had become more cruel than usual lately. The games that he allowed the lost boys to play no longer followed the strict rules he had enacted to ensure the balance of Neverland. No, now they were allowed to stab and draw blood to their merry little hearts content. It was not unusual for the pirates and the lost boys to come together in battle every now and then. It was fun for the boys, and the pirates enjoyed their attempts to put the little bastards in their place. But the battles have never been this frequent, and the crew were starting to voice their unhappiness.

Killian and his crew had just returned from another raid in the world of Wonderland, where he had also managed to gain important information as to his lifelong mission, when the lost boys had attacked again. Weary from their travels, more than one pirate had fallen to their spears and swords, and this was enough to prompt Hook to speak with Pan and ask for the crew's freedom from his service. It was time they left Neverland for good.

"Why so eager to leave, Hook? I thought we were having fun." The boy stood with his hands on his hips on the rocky beach facing the Jolly Roger and its captain.

It was a pose Hook was well accustomed to, but he had to admit that there was something different about how the boy held himself this time. The boy had been… Different, lately, as indicated by the stormy weather they had been on the receiving end of for a while, and the new found brutality from the lost boys. Hook was curious, but he did not have a deathwish so he didn't bother asking the boy.

"Your lost boys killing off my crew one by one is not my definition of fun, Pan. They've been a lot more.. Reckless lately." He tried to be as delicate as he could. With Pan's mood, he didn't want to make the mistake of setting him off.

"And here I thought you were a bloodthirsty pirate with no morals whatsoever."

"Not when we're talking about my crew. Also, that's not all. I've received word of the old crocodile's whereabouts. It's time him and I have a little chat."

"I like you Hook, really I do. So I'll make you a little deal. You and your crew of little pirates can have their freedom if…" Pan trailed off, clearly amused at the irritation Hook was beginning to show. He always did like his games.

"If?"

"If you bring me Wendy Darling."

"The Darling girl? But didn't you send her away?" Now Hook was confused. Why bring back the girl if he had sent her away in the first place? And wouldn't it be easier for him to send his shadow after her?

"What I did or didn't do doesn't really matter. What matters is that's what I want from you."

"I bring you the girl and you give me and my crew our freedom from your service and Neverland? That's all?" It seemed too easy.

"That's all."

"So do we have a deal?"

"Bring me the girl and we have a deal."

The pirate didn't leave immediately. Curious, he looked at Pan, trying to search his face for any sign that this was all a trick. But the boy's expression refused to change and so with a sigh, Hook left for the Jolly Roger. He had a journey to get ready for.

The boy waited until Hook disappeared before letting his smirk fall, anger visible on his face. Let the old codfish search for the girl. It would be amusing to watch him scramble around for someone who no longer breathed. A pirate can do many things, but he cannot bring back the dead.


	3. Chapter 3

Pan takes her near his Thinking Tree, a place where he had only ever allowed her and Felix to enter. The last time she was there, she had been truly happy to be in Neverland. Now, it was not the case.

Wendy is not used to travelling this way and when they arrive, appearing out of nowhere, she stumbles and clutches his shirt to right herself. She takes a few deep breaths to dispel the nausea before remembering who exactly it is she is clinging on to. She backs away fast, putting as much distance between them as she can without taking her eyes off of him. It would do no good to let him out of her sight.

"Why did you do that?" She asks him bluntly, cutting straight to the chase. She had not expected him to agree to the trade. She had even expected him to laugh in their faces before calling his shadow to kill them all.

"Do what?" He pretends to not know what she's talking about, the familiar playful smirk back on his lips as he watches her back away with his hands on his hips, his head cocked in amusement.

"You know what," she spits, frustrated when she sees that he isn't going to answer her. "Why'd you make that stupid deal?"

"Would you have rather died, Bird?" He asks, his tone mocking as he deflects the real question once again. She stiffens at the old nickname, so familiar on his tongue. "Would you have rather I left you to deal with the pirates on your own?"

"I prefer the pirates over you any day."

"Come now, you know that's not true. There was once a time when you didn't want to leave my side."

Wendy stiffens as he brings up a past she'd have preferred to keep buried.

"That was then. Things change."

"So you'd rather have gone with them? Even when they were so willing to give your life for theirs?' His eyebrows nearly disappear into his hairline as he arranges his features into a mocking expression of shock.

"Even so. I'd rather be with them, right now, than with you."

"Ah yes, I forgot about your fascination with pirates. What was it you wanted to call yourself? Red Handed Jill?" His laugh is cruel and her cheeks burn bright. It was not that long ago when she had spilled all her secret desires to him, her thirst for adventure and magic. That Wendy of long ago seems so young compared to who she is now.

She doesn't want to waste her time talking to Pan anymore. No matter how she ended up here, the point is she is finally in Neverland and she can do what she had come to do in the first place.

"Where's Bae?" She asks, changing the topic, "I came to bring him home."

The smirk is wiped from Pan's face, his stare hardens and his body stiffens. She stares back, refusing to back down until the pressure is too much and she looks away, her eyes flicker around them, trying in vain to search for any sign of Bae's presence. Would he be at the camp with the lost boys? Was she too late to save him?

No. Bae was much too smart for that. And besides, he wasn't a lost boy. He had her. And he was smart enough to evade Pan, she knows it.

"I wondered how Hook had convinced you to come back. So, you came to save the boy who sacrificed himself for you and your family, did you?" Again, he evades her questions.

Wendy flinches, because it is yet another reminder of her being at fault for Bae having been taken.

"You were lucky to leave the island once, Wendy. I favoured you and gave you permission where I usually give no mercy." He smirks without humor, something she has rarely seen on his face. "But you won't be that lucky again. You won't be stepping one foot off this island, Wendy."

Almost shaking with frustration, Wendy marches forward, crossing the distance between them and pokes Peter in the chest.

"No. I am not staying here. I am not lost, I am not unloved, and neither is Bae. Now tell me where he is and we are leaving immediately."

All her confidence is false, and he must know it, but he doesn't mock her like she expects. His hand closes over her wrist and the look on his face is awkward, as if he's trying to show pity but he cannot hide the glee in his eyes.

"I'm afraid that won't happen, Wendy. Ever. You see, Bae is gone. You're never going to see him again."

It's as if the ground has disappeared from under her feet and she feels her knees buckle underneath her. The hand on her wrist tightens as if to keep her up, but she doesn't notice. Her eyes search his desperately, hoping she has just misheard him.

"What? Peter, what are you saying?" She asks, her voice wobbly with desperation. "Is he…?"

He nods and she starts crying.

It's all her fault! Bae lost his life all because of her! He was supposed to grow old and well with her family, loved and safe, but because of her stupidity and her refusal to heed his warnings, he was dead.

What had she done?

"Come on. I'll bring you back to camp." He releases her wrist and places a hand on her lower back. She is too shocked to object, and allows her to lead her through the forest away from his thinking tree. "The boys have missed you."

The air somehow feels different when they arrive in the camp. The boys are all looking at her oddly, perhaps wondering how she got back or why. Some of them are sharpening their weapons in the corner, some tending to the fire and the hog currently roasting over the flames, the rest look up from their games.

Felix, the most loyal of the boys and who she had once jokingly called Peter's Knight, is by a group of boys on the other side of the camp, head ducked down to look at what they're showing him. When he senses their presence, he stands to greet Pan but freezes at the sight of Wendy.

"Go get Tink," Pan tells him. "Make it fast."

Felix's eyes linger on Wendy for a second longer than she is used to before he nods and disappears into the trees, taking a path that will bring him to Tink's tree in minutes.

She stands awkwardly near the bonfire with her bare arms crossed, still feeling shocked from what she had just heard. The wind is cold today, and she tries to get closer to the fire without the Pan noticing as he speaks with one of the older boys. She is stopped by a tugging at her skirt, and she looks down to find little Tootles holding up a worn cloak. Her heart clenches a little and, though she doesn't want to give in and show weakness, she thanks him and takes the cloak. She's fastening it around her shoulders when Felix returns with Tink. A silent signal from Felix and all the boys leave camp, leaving only the four of them.

If there's anyone she's happy to see in Neverland, it's Tink. The fairy had been irritated with her at first, but before she had left they had developed a friendship and Wendy had been sad to leave her behind.

"Tink!" She exclaims. The fairy does not smile, or rush to her as she expects, but she freezes in her tracks and stares at Wendy with her mouth open. The usual glowing fairy turns pale, the colour draining from her. She looks as though she's seen a ghost.

"Good of you to join us, Tink." she did not notice Pan leave the other boys and go to standing beside her. As he greets Tink, she can hear the underlying anger in his tone and wonders what it's about. "As you can see, a little bird dropped by to pay us a visit. She looks well, don't you think?"

The fairy takes a step back, but bumps into Felix behind her. Her eyes are wide with fear, and Wendy goes toward her in concern, only to be held back by Peter's hand on her arm.

"She looks healthy, doesn't she? In the prime of her youth, I would say! And yet, I was informed that this wasn't the case. I was informed that Wendy Darling breathed no more. Why do you think that is, Tink?"

Tink doesn't answer, which makes the rage in Pan only grow.

"You told me she was dead. You tricked me. Why is that?"

Wendy is surprised. Is that what he had meant earlier when he had remarked on her being alive? Tink is silent, but Felix gently prods her.

"So you wouldn't bring her back here. To keep her safe from you." Tink says, her eyes narrowed in anger. "She has no place here, Pan. You shouldn't have brought her back."

Again, disbelief hits Wendy. She did not think that Tink would be willing to risk anything for her. She had done something so dangerous to ensure her safety, and it was all for nothing because Wendy's feet were back on Neverland's soil. And now, Pan would make her pay.

The smirk drops from his lips. Peter Pan doesn't like being told what he should or should not do. Wendy had known this from experience, and she knew that Pan thought of himself as a king. King's didn't like their subjects interfering with their plans.

"For what you've done, you deserve to be punished," He sneers at her, his voice growing louder with every word. "You are banished, Tinkerbell. If anyone speaks to you, I shall slit their throats and make you watch. If you speak to Wendy, I shall slit your throat and make _her _watch. You are not allowed near the camp, and if you see one of my boys, you are to leave the premises immediately. You are to live alone for a hundred years for your treachery. And…" the grin that replaces his sneer is as wicked as Wendy has ever seen. Her heart beats faster just thinking about how much more pain he'd inflict on the poor fairy who'd done no wrong but to try and save her.

"You are banned from ever using pixie dust again. And what's a fairy without pixie dust?" he tilts his head, a malicious glint in his eye. "Though you're not even a proper fairy now are you, what with your lack of wings and all?"

Wendy watches as Tink looks visibly beaten with every world Pan says. Her shoulders sag, her eyes fill with tears, and she holds herself vulnerably. She has never seen the fairy look so beaten. Wendy turns to Pan, her hands clutching at his shirt. "Peter, no! Please! Don't do this to her!"

The sneer is back on his face when he looks down at her, and his hand grips her wrists and pulls them away from his shirt. "You're lucky I'm not throwing her to the mermaids, Bird. As it stands, the only reason she still breathes is because of you. If she had done this for anyone else, they'd both be dead."

"Peter-"

"Besides, it's a fitting punishment. She did all of this to keep you away from Neverland? Well she can remember her failure whenever she sees you from afar. She can watch you live the rest of your life here."

There are tears in Wendy's eyes, and she can barely make out his face through them. He has taken away her brother, told her that she would never see her family again, and how he was taking away the one friend she had on the island. "You're cruel."

Pan lets go of her wrists and with a shake of his head, Felix leaves the camp.

"I'll let you say goodbye," he says before leaving as well. Wendy rushes to Tink, holding onto her tight as she cries for her friend.

"Tink! Oh, Tink! This is all my fault! I'm so sorry!"

"Hush, Wendy. I made my choice. I did what I thought was best for you. It almost worked, as well. I'm sorry you have to be back here with that demon." she hisses the word.

"Don't apologise, Tink. I should be apologising to you! Oh, if I had never come here then you wouldn't be in trouble and Bae wouldn't be dead and-" She breaks off as more tears choke her.

They stay that way for a few minutes before a noise alerts them to Felix's presence. He stands quietly at the edge of the camp, waiting. Tink wipes her tears and smoothes back her hair. If she will be banished, then she will leave with her head held high.

"I'll see you in a hundred years, Wendy?" She says with a weak smile. Wendy cannot return it, but she grabs Tink's hand with both of her own.

"I'll try to fix this. I'll try to get you some pixie dust. You'll be okay, right?"

"Focus on keeping yourself safe, Wendy, and I'll be fine." She gently removes her hand from Wendy's grip and goes to Felix, walking ahead of him as he escorts her away.

Wendy is alone.

**PAST**

Tink was busy collecting supplies when she stumbled upon the two boys deep in conversation. She had no doubt that they knew she was there, but they were too used to her going and coming that they took no heed of her.

"You really allowed the girl to leave?" Felix asked.

"For now," Pan said. "I needed her to leave in order to complete my business with the boy. But the Bird has her uses so she won't be gone from here for long. I plan to bring her back very soon."

The fairy could hear the smirk in his voice and she shivered. She feared for Wendy. She thought the girl would be safe now that she was home in her own realm, but she was wrong. Pan had planned everything ahead and was intending to bring back the poor girl anyway.

Tink didn't know what else Pan had in store for Wendy, but the memory of the girls tears as she begged to leave Neverland had stuck with her and the thought of her being brought back against her will left a hollow feeling in her stomach. She couldn't allow Pan to bring the girl back. She had to do something.

"Pan!" She called out, making her way to the center of the camp, her hand clenched tight around a vial of pixie dust.

The boy king looked up from where he was working on sharpening an arrow and cocked an eyebrow in question.

Tinker Bell hesitated a bit, unsure about what she was about to do. If this worked, Wendy would be safe from Neverland for the rest of her life. If it didn't, well, her fate would be far worse than whatever Wendy would face should she return.

But it was worth it, if the girl she had come to look upon as a friend would be safe.

"There's something I need to show you," she beckoned him to follow her and led him to a nearby clearing, far from the curious eyes of the other lost boys. When she was sure they were alone, she brought her hand up to show him the vial. "Before Wendy left, something happened that we were not informed about and now she's experiencing the consequences."

She threw the pixie dust into the air and watched as the flecks started dancing with the wind. It was inert, but her belief in her mission caused it to glow and sparkle with magic once more. Slowly the air before them rippled like water, tinged with a green glow, then smoothed over so it was like looking into a mirror. But instead of their reflections, instead of the jungles of Neverland, they were looking into a bedroom window with a girl fast asleep in her bed. Tink had opened a window into another world.

"What is this?" Peter asked, his eyes fixed on the sleeping figure. Though to others he looked unchanged, Tink had known him long enough to see the tell tale signs of agitation. His shoulders were stiff and his jaw clenched, the hands at his sides twitching as if he was controlling the urge to ball them into fists. "What did you want to show me?"

The girl in the window started coughing, the sickly, pale pallor of her skin visible even through the green tinge. But what caught their attention were the black lines that ran from her wrists up to her shoulders, before disappearing under her white nightgown.

They knew the girl and they knew what the black lines meant.

"She got scratched by dreamshade before she left, Pan. She probably didn't know what it was. But it's near her heart now," Tink paused. When she spoke again, her voice was wobbly, a weakness the fairy usually didn't allow people to hear. "She'll be gone in minutes."

Tink was too busy looking at Wendy to look at Pan. The corners of his mouth tightened in rage and alarm, his eyes glued to the sick girl. It took only a moment to calm himself down and he sneered at Tink.

"Well that just won't do." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bean. "I still have use of her. I think a little visit is in order."

Before he could fling it at the ground to open a portal to the Darling household, Tink's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. He growled in anger and ripped it from her grasp. Who was she to touch Peter Pan? Who was she to hinder him?

"Look," She pointed at the vision, and Pan turned just in time to see Wendy caught up in a particularly rough cough before falling limply back in bed.

Her chest no longer rose and fell. She was dead.

It was night, but somehow it grew even darker. What few stars remained in Neverland went out, disappearing under thunderous grey clouds that were bringing about the beginnings of a storm. The wind picked up and started howling, the trees caught up in a frantic dance. Rain poured from the heavens, drenching the fairy and Peter Pan, and caused the image before them to waver. The ground started shaking hard, at the beach waves crashed hard against the rocks and sand and the mermaids swam deep to avoid the currants dragging them into whirlpools. In the camp, the bonfire grew to extreme heights, its flames lashing out at the lost boys, threatening to burn anyone in its path.

The Pan was angry.

Tink had rarely seen him like this. For a wild child, he was quite good at controlling his temper, choosing instead to use his rage and lash out in ways guaranteed to make the cause of his fury suffer. But Neverland had always reacted to his emotions, and the island was becoming just as feral as his rage seemed to be.

She didn't know what angered him more, that a part of his plan was foiled due to Wendy's death, or that everything that had happened was beyond his control.

With the storm raging around them, and his hands balled into fists, Peter's form flickered once before disappearing.

Tink thought he had probably gone to his Thinking Tree, a place he used whenever he wished to be alone.

Through the rain, she watched as the green haze disappeared from the vision before her, taking its illusion with it. What was left was Wendy Darling sleeping deeply, no trace of the black poison in her veins.

She had done it. She had deceived Pan. Wendy would be safe from him now.


End file.
